Beyond Obama’s own racial identity — multiracial (Black and white) — it struck me as odd that I read article after article about what same-sex marriage, as well as Obama’s opinion on the matter, means to Black people. I was further troubled by what seems to be an understanding of Black as distinct from lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). Some discussions of race and sexuality even reflect a notion that Black is the opposite of LGBT.

The Intersections Among Race, Ethnicity, Sexuality, And Gender

As some have pointed out, these popular discussions of race and sexuality — or even Black vs. LGBT — diverts our attention away from several issues: coalitions between Black and LGBT communities, Black heterosexual and cisgender allies to the LGBT community, anti-racist activism in LGBT communities, and homophobia and transphobia among white Americans. The most damaging result of such discussions is the continued invisibility of people who are both Black and LGBT.

In a few of my previous posts, I have written about intersections among our social identities, including race, ethnicity, gender, and sexuality. Drawing on the academic concept of intersectionality entails considering how an individual’s life and experiences are uniquely shaped by the the intersecting relationships among their various social identities. For example, in many ways, Black transgender people face harsher social realities — namely, poverty, discrimination, and health problems — than white transpeople. Or, another example would be extending research on anti-LGBT discrimination to consider other forms of discrimination that LGBT may face, namely racial discrimination.

So, as we celebrate LGBT pride during the month of June, let’s remember that we are not merely transgender, bisexual, lesbian, gay, queer, and heterosexual people. We are also made up of our unique racial, ethnic, gender, class, ability, religious, and cultural identities.

Films:Paris is Burning, a documentary about ball culture — a core component of Black and Latina/o LGBT culture in NY City; Tongues United, an artistic documentary about racism and homophobia in the lives of Black gay and bisexual men; The Aggressives, a documentary about working-class Black transmen and masculine-identified women.

received his PhD in sociology at Indiana University. He is an Assistant Professor at the University of Richmond. Dr. Grollman's research interests lie in medical sociology, social psychology, sexualities, and race/gender/class. You can see his personal blog at http://egrollman.com.